High School Clichés

An officemate watches it. An unsuspecting bus seatmate also does. So was my erstwhile significant other. It couldn’t be much more popular: Chico and Del are rabid fans. An ostentatious display of puffery, I muttered. That stubbornness soon waned upon hearing the delivery of their raves. Gleefully! Then it came to pass that curiosity killed the cat and I jumped on the bandwagon.

Targeting the mighty tween power (American Idol , anyone?), Glee chronicles a group of underdog high school students on their quest of fame and glory. Amidst of the unmistakable, formulaic plot, the usual suspects and clichés come forth. There is the talented geek whose rather “unconventional” face is a major laughingstock and the sole recipient of bully attacks. There is the popular jock who happens to be the jack of all trades (no pun intended!). And the bitchy, Barbie-beautiful tanned cheerleader. They all act out and, oh well, you know what’s in store: that cheesy, bland high school love triangle (eeww)!

To surreptitiously subside the clichés and to project it as an avant-garde, these underdog high school students can actually sing! From Amy Winehouse’s Rehab to Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing to Celine Dion’s Taking Chances, the music library is spectacularly diverse! The singing and the musical arrangements I do not have problems with; it’s the quick story development that encumbers the character progression and consequently, making an episode so stuffed.

Blame it on my discriminating eyes but the following really disturb me big time:

1) Why is so Finn’s tummy weirdly big that even the football outfit designed to conceal the unsightly fat fails to do the trick?

2) Why does Will’s facial expression become cringeworthy and go overboard (a cross of silliness and Broadway desperation) everytime he dances?

3) Why is Rachel pigeonholed as the ugly girl when she’s pretty enough to conquer Finn’s pre-ejaculation dilemma (the make-up team should make an extra effort to pull off the Ugly Betty’s look!)?

With so many stupid reality tv shows that inundate the small screens right now and teens preoccupied with their selfish and trivial problems, Glee seems to be an escapist form of an antidote. Rightfully so, “a biting comedy for the underdog in all of us.”

Happy Glee Watching!